Finding the Wind
by Fuming Orange
Summary: This is a story about Ella, Scarlett's daughter. Takes place when she turns 18 years old. Please read and review.
1. Anticipation

Ella Lorena Kennedy was not beautiful. Often she would look at her reflection in the mirror and wish that she had a face that men would melt over. She also wished that she wasn't so painfully shy in front of men. She also wished that her annoying cousin wasn't courting Joe Fontaine, the boy of her dreams.

Ella was sitting in room, reading a book. Out of nowhere, there was a shrill, phony laugh. Susie was outside her window. Ella knew that Susie was making that noise on purpose; Susie knew that Ella had a crush on Joe. Ella rolled her eyes and went back to reading her book. Ella found the going-on's of the book much more interesting.

It was interesting to think back to her youth, one time, Ella and Susie had been the best of friends. Then suddenly, Susie got two funny bumps coming out of her chest, and she suddenly became boy crazy. After this, Ella found the joys of books.

Ella looked a lot like her father, Frank Kennedy, a man she didn't remember. She had his face. She knew that because she had one picture of him. She had ginger-brown hair, with her mother's emerald-green eyes. She had small breasts, and her figure was slender.

The main father she remembered was her stepfather, then ex-stepfather, then stepfather again, Rhett Butler. It was a long, complicated story, and Ella didn't really like to think about the shame that her mother had brought on the family.

Ella wasn't really sure when everything happened, but she knew it began with her Aunt Melly. Her Aunt Melly was the kindest, sweetest, person Ella had ever known. Ella, at times would fantasize Aunt Melly being her mother. Sadly, Aunt Melly died, and her mother sent her and her brother, Wade, to her childhood home, Tara, where she had been ever since.

Ella's mother, Scarlett, never really seemed to care about her. Ella never understood why. She seemed to like Wade, her half-brother, but she always seemed irritated by Ella.

What her mother did was a horrible sin, she disgraced the O'Hara family with a divorce, and then worse, she had a baby in secret. Cat. That was her name; Ella had met Cat only twice. She seemed nice, but Ella was rather afraid to get close to Cat.

When Aunt Melly died, and Scarlett sent Ella and Wade to Tara, Ella's life had been filled with death. First, there was Ella's little sister, Bonnie, then Aunt Melly, then Mammy, her harsh, but loving Mammy, who had been more of a mother than Scarlett ever had. Ella stayed at Tara, with her Uncle Will and Aunt Suellen. Suellen and Scarlett were sisters. Ella had become fast friends with Susie, who was closest to her age. Suddenly, Scarlett was gone, and went back to Atlanta. She came back a few years later with Cat, and Scarlett was rarely seen again.

Following Scarlett's departure, Wade and Uncle Will became like father and son, while Ella and Susie became best friends. Ella's two other cousins, Jane and Martha never really bothered Ella or Susie.

Suddenly, Susie got her breasts, and became a flirt. Ella found reading, and she noticed her Aunt Suellen's cold looks. She also didn't know why Suellen gave her such cold, hateful looks. Ella knew that there were some buried secrets in the O'Hara family, she was interested in what they were, but she also felt that they were best kept hidden.

Ella was now seventeen; and she soon would be getting her trust fund. That was one good thing about being Scarlett's daughter; Scarlett and Uncle Rhett had lots of money. She could leave Tara behind, and never look back. Ella wasn't very happy at Tara, and had always dreamed of going back to Atlanta, or going to Charleston, Savannah, or maybe even New Orleans. Scarlett had set up the trust fund during her last visit. Wade had his also, but Wade was a farmer, and all he cared about was Tara, so he bought some of the land surrounding Tara, and had a little plantation of his own. Wade was also engaged to be married to Anne Robertson from Fayetteville. Anne was nice, but never really seemed to pay attention to Ella.

The time was now April, and Ella would be retrieving her fund in less than a month. Wade and Anne were also to be married at the beginning of May. Ella wondered if she would ever be a wife, if any man would marry her.

Ella continued to read her book. She was coming to the end of the book, and she would have to go with her Uncle Will to Fayetteville to return those books to the library. It was a small library, but it had books that were entertaining to read none-the-less. Ella heard another shrill sound that was a combination scream and laugh. Ella couldn't contain her curiosity for this, she had never heard that from Susie, she closed to the book and went to the window, and pulled back the curtain, and saw Susie embracing Joe in a hug. Ella wondered what had happened between the two of them. She would find out soon enough….


	2. Departure

Ella Kennedy sat at Tara at during Wade and Anne's wedding day, quite sad. Ella wasn't sad over Wade getting married; it was more over the announcement of Joe and Susie's engagement. Susie, her cousin and the one who taunted her and made her life difficult was getting married to the one person she ever loved.

However, one wedding came at a time. This was Wade and Anne's wedding day, and the folks from all over the county and Fayetteville were at Tara, where apparently years before, Scarlett and Wade's father Charles were married shortly before the war. Uncle Will and Aunt Suellen were acting like the proud parents of Wade. Ella wondered if even her mother or Rhett even knew about the wedding. She knew that Aunt Suellen and Uncle Will had come to think of Wade as their own son, so Suellen probably didn't bother to tell Scarlett about the wedding. Suellen was the one who kept up correspondence with Scarlett whenever Scarlett wrote a letter, which came about once every three months.

Ella, with the rest of the people stood up when Anne and her father came to the end of the aisle. Anne did look pretty in a dress that looked to be made of white satin and lace, and that looked very intricate and hard to make. Susie sat closer to the end with Joe, and Ella saw her eyes open wide and her face shine like a sunrise.

Anne and Mr. Robertson came to end of the aisle and the wedding commenced. It was a happy day at Tara, and it should've been a happy day for Ella also, but the one man she loved was going to marry her cousin in several weeks. This broke Ella's heart, she distracted herself from the unpleasant thoughts by thinking of the trust fund that she was about to receive from Scarlett.

Ella was about to receive a large amount of money from Scarlett, and Ella wouldn't have to worry about money for a good long time, she could finally leave Tara, Wade, Susie and her taunts, Aunt Suellen's cold hard looks, and she could finally explore the world for herself, and never look back.

By now, all the people at the wedding were chatting with one another, and people were dancing. Ella could dance for a long time without being tired. She had practiced dancing with other people in the past, with Wade, with Joe, and other boys. She liked to dance, but nobody ever asked her to dance because of her face, she wished she could just dance and dance the night away.

Finally, a dance ended, and Wade came over and asked Ella to dance. Wade and Ella danced for awhile, and she wished that someone other than her brother would ask her to dance. After that dance was over, she sat quietly and waited for the day to end.

The day did come to an end, and the servants began to clean up and Ella went up to her room and started to read a book. Aunt Suellen came to the door, and banged on her door. "Ella, come down and say good-bye to your brother!" She said through the door.

Ella got up grudgingly and walked downstairs were Uncle Will, Susie, Jane, and Martha were all hugging and embracing Wade and Anne with their good-byes. Anne saw and Ella, and embraced her with a hug and a kiss on the cheek. "Ella, dear" she said, "I do wish you the best of luck, with whatever you do, and I do hope you come and stay with us at our place for awhile at least." Ella could only smile at this. Anne was wishing her good luck on whatever she did with the inheritance, and wanted to visit their place.

"Thank you Anne, I hope that you have a good trip." That was all Ella could think to say. Anne smiled briefly at this, and went to Aunt Suellen. Wade came over and gave Ella a kiss on the cheek and smiled at her. Ella didn't expect anything less than this from Wade.

Ella went back upstairs and read her book for a little while and went to bed earlier than usual. The wedding had made her tired. Ella fell asleep quickly, not before thinking about where she could and visit with her inheritance. She could travel all across the country, all the places that she read about and dreamed of visiting. Places like Boston, Philadelphia, San Francisco, New Orleans, and all the places like that.

The next several weeks until Ella's eighteenth birthday, and the day she could officially get her inheritance crawled by extremely slowly for Ella. Susie's wedding day was also coming up, and Susie hadn't said anything directly to Ella's face, but she knew that in a way, she was getting something that Ella wanted more than the money; she was going to be Joe's wife.

Finally on the day of her birthday, Ella could go to the bank in Atlanta, and get the inheritance. That was the best eighteenth birthday that Ella could ever receive, her official departure from the god-forsaken Tara. On the night before, Ella personally packed all of her belongings, clothes and books, and other items. Uncle Will and Aunt Suellen had a little birthday party on the day before her birthday. Aunt Suellen had made a bland chocolate cake, and the whole family had gave her several books, _Les Miserables _and _The Story of a Needle_, both of which Ella had read previously, but now she owned them.

That night, Ella had a hard time falling asleep, she was so excited. The next morning, Ella got up early and got everything ready; she would be going to Atlanta alone, while Uncle Will would drive her to Jonesboro to catch the train. Ella dressed in what was most dressy that she could find. She would definitely have to get some new clothes when she got the money.

She went down at 8 in the morning to find Uncle Will and Aunt Suellen the only ones up, and Aunt Suellen had made a meager breakfast. Aunt Suellen smiled at Ella when she saw her, but Ella noticed that her eyes were cold and heartless as stones. The three of them sat down and ate rather quickly.

After that, Ella and Will left Tara. The reason for the lack of emotion for Ella's departure was that Ella hadn't exactly told her Uncle Will, Aunt Suellen, Susie, or anyone for that matter that she was leaving Tara, hopefully for good. She had her luggage packed in what looked like a chest, but there were a quite a bit more things in the chest. Ella intended to tell Will that she was leaving at the train station, and then he wouldn't do or say anything to force her or persuade to stay at Tara.

Ella and Will went along the road to Jonesboro rather silently, mostly admiring the sights and sounds of the early morning. Ella felt extremely jittery and the fact that she would hopefully never be returning to Tara to explore the world made her feel like a hyper child. She had to tell him of her intentions; she had to let it off her chest.

"Uncle Will, there's something that I must tell you about." Ella began rather nervously. Uncle Will looked over at Ella the way he looked at everyone, rather dully and without emotion in his eyes, as though there wasn't a problem in the world, and the piece of wheat that was in his mouth was in his mouth even now. "I think you should know I am leaving Tara." Not to Ella's surprise, there was not a flood of tears and whining from Uncle Will. "I see" was all he said.

"You see, there is so much that I want to see and do in the world-" Ella started, but Will interrupted her with: "No need to explain, Ella." "I can tell that you are restless," he began. "I can also tell that it will break your heart to see Susie get married." "It'll be nice for you to get away from Suellen's nasty looks that she always gives you." Ella couldn't help but ask. "Why doesn't she like me?" Ella asked rather sadly.

"Well, Ella, I don't think it's you that she doesn't like, rather it's that she sees Scarlett in you." That was the last thing that Ella expected to hear. Scarlett? Ella had always tried her hardest to be unlike her. "I see quite a bit of Scarlett in you too." Uncle Will finished. Ella sat there, her mouth agape. No one had ever compared her to Scarlett, not ever, and she had never done anything in her life that she remembered her mother doing or heard of her mother doing.

"Also, Sue sees someone else that hurt her a long time ago." Uncle Will said. "That's another story, however." Ella was now rather curious in who she could be like that hurt Aunt Suellen along time ago. However, before she could even give it much serious thought, Will and Ella had arrived in Jonesboro.

Still, without argument or in anyway trying to persuade her, Will drove the wagon straight to the train station. Ella gave her luggage to a man who placed it in the train. "Well Ella, I guess this is goodbye." Uncle Will said. "At least try to write back to Tara and keep up with us," he said while lightly smiling. "I will, Uncle Will." Ella said. She then realized that she should be getting on the train soon. "Well, goodbye Uncle Will." She said giving him a hug and a light kiss on the cheek. She then smiled and turned around and faced the train, but before boarding, turned and waved and smiled at him.

Ella then entered the train, feeling rather nervous. She had never been on a train alone before in her life. She found an empty seat and sat down. Ella was extremely nervous for the first trip to Atlanta she would be making in several years, she was still jittering as the train began to move and it sped up toward Ella's destiny, Atlanta.


	3. Excitement, Ecstasy, and Heartbreak

Ella Lorena Kennedy looked out the opening in her carriage and had never felt so jittery before in her life. She was in a carriage, officially in Atlanta, riding down the street. Since she was born, and spent a part of her childhood here in Atlanta, she was looking for anything that looked vaguely familiar. She had yet to see anything that looked even reminiscent of something, even the train station, which remembered quite well from her childhood, looked nothing like she recalled it.

She continued to look out the opening, wishing that she had about 10 more eyes. She also looked at the people, looking for anyone that looked familiar. For a brief instant, she saw a blonde haired young man that looked vaguely familiar, he was strolling along the street, and his blue eyes met hers. She saw him, but was too busy looking around the street and buildings to give him any serious thought.

The carriage continued to go down the street, until it came to the law offices of John Hedgecock, Attorney at law. This is who she had to go to in order to receive the inheritance. Wade had to several years ago. John Hedgecock was the man that had taken over Henry Hamilton's business. Henry Hamilton had died of a heart attack unexpectedly shortly after Ella's fourteenth birthday. Suellen had heard this from Scarlett.

Reminiscing this, Ella recalled Henry Hamilton, or Uncle Henry. He technically wasn't Ella's uncle, but he was Wade's great-uncle. She didn't really have any fond memories of him. The only person he ever consulted with was Scarlett, he would come over to the house occasionally, but he never paid any attention to her.

Ella stepped up the steps and knocked on the door. She stood there waiting, when a flustered-looking man came to the door. "Yes?" he asked, obviously irritated. "Are you Mr. Hedgecock?" Ella asked. "Yes, I am, who are you?" Mr. Hedgecock asked rather harshly." Ella was taken back, but nothing like that was going to make her fluster and give him a lashing of the tongue. "I am Ella Kennedy, I wrote to you several weeks ago about receiving my inheritance." Ella said calmly. Mr. Hedgecock looked shocked. "Oh, of course, Miss Kennedy," he said rather nastily.

Ella stepped into his office, and they began discussing the inheritance, and he had papers for Ella to sign and consent, and finally she had her inheritance. Her inheritance, the one thing that made certain that she wouldn't be a freeloader at Tara, with this, she could go anywhere and anyplace that her hear desired. Ella had never been more excited in her life.

But, in her ecstasy, she suddenly recalled Mr. Hedgecock's sneer at the reaction of being Ella Kennedy. Ella climbed into the carriage which hadn't moved since she went into the office. As she was doing this, she couldn't help but wonder what caused Mr. Hedgecock to give such a sneer. Was it possibly because he was overworked, and Ella's knocking had simply irritated him? Or was it another reason? It suddenly hit Ella like a jolt of lightning.

Scarlett, she thought privately to herself. She had begun to refrain from calling Scarlett 'Mother' in her mind. Ella was still disgraced at what she had done to the O'Hara family. Of course, people are going to know that I'm Scarlett O'Hara's daughter. Scarlett O'Hara is probably a legend, a harlot. Ella sighed. How could she find acceptance in Atlanta at the very least if everyone knew she was Scarlett O'Hara's daughter? Suddenly, Ella's memory drudged up Uncle Will saying that she was like Scarlett.

Ella decided that she would try her hardest to be unlike Scarlett. With that, Ella pushed all those thoughts about Scarlett and acceptance to the back of her mind. She now had her inheritance and could do anything in the world that she pleased.

Ella told the driver to take her to a hotel. The driver took her to Five Points; she checked into a room and rested for a short while. After her short nap, Ella went and explored all the places she desired. She went to a book store and bought about 8 or 9 books, and then went to other stores buying the nicest dresses and even some make up, which she had never worn at Tara.

She was walking down the street, when she nearly ran right into a familiar face. It was Aunt Pittypat. Aunt Pittypat hadn't aged one day since Ella remembered her. "Ella? Is that really you?" Aunt Pittypat asked in shock. "Yes, Aunt Pittypat, it's me, Ella." Ella replied.

Instantly, Ella and Aunt Pittypat began conversation. As it turned out, she and Suellen had kept in touch over the years, she couldn't make it to Wade's wedding because she was taken ill with something. Also, Aunt Pittypat was living with India Wilkes.

India Wilkes had been alone once again, and she moved in with Pittypat, who Ella remembered Scarlett always saying that she was a simpering old fool. Ella vaguely recalled India as a brooding woman with very cold and hateful eyes.

Aunt Pittypat had somehow managed to convince Ella to come over for dinner, and Ella was being led back to Aunt Pittypat's house with her, and her new butler, Paul. Uncle Peter had apparently died years past.

Ella and Aunt Pittypat had walked into the door, and to Ella, it was like walking into a memory. The place was exactly the way she remembered it. There was one thing that Ella never remembered about Aunt Pittypat's however. There was India Wilkes on a chair, reading a book. She looked up at the door opening, and saw Ella, and her eyes turned cold as stone.

"Well, this is a pleasant surprise." India said with an obviously fake smile on her face. "You would be Ella, Scarlett's daughter, wouldn't you?" India asked in a tone that Ella didn't like in any way. "Yes, I am," Ella said simply.

"So, India, is supper ready?" Aunt Pittypat. "Yes, you're just in time," with another tone in her voice that Ella didn't like at all. "Beau is eating here also, he eats here on Thursdays." India turned and explained to Ella. At that moment, Beau Wilkes walked in. Beau had grown a great deal since Ella had seen him when he was a child. Ella also remembered seeing him briefly on the street. He was that blonde man she recognized.

Beau and Ella were reintroduced to one another. They talked only briefly for a moment, before they were shooed into the kitchen by India, who had started to give Ella icy glares that reminded her of Suellen's. They ate fried chicken with potatoes, and it was okay. Aunt Pittypat, Ella, India, and Beau all engaged in friendly conversation with one another, India giving Ella icy glares throughout the meal. They talked about Ashley, who now had several children with his second wife, they also talked about the going-on's in Atlanta, and Ella told them about the happenings at Tara, and with the other folks in the county.

The time came for Ella to take her leave. She said her good-byes and promised to come visiting tomorrow or the next day. She stepped out onto the porch, and she then realized that she had forgotten her scarf. Ella turned around to the door. She heard a discussion going on. The first voice she heard was India's. "Well, thank God _that's_ over. She is horrible, ugly, and just like Scarlett!" Ella thought she literally felt her heart split in half.

"India, please don't say such things." Aunt Pittypat said, sounding like she was on the verge of tears. "This is just like what happened between you and Melly." She then began to cry. "I don't care." India said. Ella Kennedy is not Melanie, she reminds me a great deal of Scarlett." "Those eyes. Her eyes look exactly like Scarlett's." India said with pure hatred in her voice. "And, you know what they say. The eyes are the window to the soul.

Ella was crushed, heartbroken, and now tears were streaming down her face. Another person who thought she was like Scarlett. She couldn't take it anymore. She had to get away. Ella took off running down the street…..


	4. Discovery

Ella Lorena Kennedy sat on the train watching the trees go by with great speed. She was on a train again, heading for a new destination, slightly excited, but not as excited as her trip to Atlanta just a week previously.

Ella was still getting over the harsh remark she had heard India Wilkes say. No wonder Scarlett hated India so much, she could now understand Scarlett's animosity toward India.

Ella had her money now, but she was happy to be exploring new places, but she was still sad. After that harsh remark by India, Ella ran back to the hotel room, where she bathed, and tried to block the harsh words of India from her memory, but to no avail. The next day, she explored Atlanta in greater detail, but she was reluctant to tell anyone who she was because she feared another India Wilkes-like comment.

She decided to leave Atlanta, declaring that there were other places that she would like to visit. Ella was now en-route to Charleston. Ella didn't truthfully consider staying there that long; she was more visiting out of natural curiosity. Ella had her Aunt Carreen in Charleston, who she had never met. Carreen joined a convent and became a nun shortly after the war, and from what both Scarlett and Suellen had said about her, she was always a little foolish.

Ella also had a great-aunt who lived there, her great Aunt Pauline, her grandmother's sister. Ella had never met her either, she recalled someone, either Scarlett or Suellen saying that they had never approved of Ellen, Ella's grandmother marrying Gerald, Ella's grandfather. Pauline and Ellen had another sister, Eulalie who died several years previously.

Something that interested Ella was the fact that Pauline, Eulalie, and Ellen were all members of the Robillard family, and she was a descendant. Ella remembered the picture of her great-grandmother Solange Robillard at Tara, who, from Suellen's descriptions, sounded similar to Scarlett. Great-Grandma Robillard had been married three times, like Scarlett, and she had many beaux, like Scarlett in her youth. She recalled Suellen mentioning that rather coldly.

Thinking about Aunt Carreen and Pauline made Ella a little more excited about visiting Charleston. She had kin there, and she would be visiting them for the first time. Maybe they wouldn't be as bad as Suellen, the only real relative that Ella knew. Ella had another Aunt, her father Frank's sister, whom began a correspondence with her before she died. Frank Kennedy's sister, Louisa, had lived in Macon, and when Ella was 12 she was shocked to receive a letter from her. They began a correspondence, where she learned the history of the Kennedy family, and was saddened when she died unexpectedly two years later.

Ella looked out the windows, seeing the trees go whipping by, and began to feel more anticipation in visiting Charleston.

Ella felt a little tired. She closed her eyes, deciding to take a short catnap.

Ella woke up when someone was shaking her shoulder. Her eyes flew open. "Excuse me, miss, but, we're at Charleston." A nice man told her. "Thank you sir," Ella replied politely. Ella managed to get her luggage, and get into a carriage, she then told the driver to take her to a hotel. She didn't know anything about Charleston's businesses and layout. The driver continued on, and Ella noticed how old-fashioned and picturesque Charleston was. It was nothing like Atlanta, which had construction and constant building everywhere.

Ella enjoyed watching the nice places, it reminded her of a story she once read. The driver stopped, and said. "Here we are Miss, at the Cherrywood Hotel." Ella got off and a gentleman came up and took her luggage. She entered the lobby and got a hotel room, where she went up to, and dropped off her luggage, and decided to stay there for a little while.

At the moment, she still felt a little groggy after the nap that she took on the train. She decided to take a nap. Several hours later, Ella woke up, and had a light meal, and decided to explore Charleston further. She tried hard to remember where her Aunt Carreen's convent was, but she couldn't remember.

She remembered that her Aunt Pauline lived somewhere on the Battery. She didn't intend on visiting her just yet. She had never met her, and it would be a little shocking for her Aunt Pauline if this niece she had never met just showed up on her doorstep.

Ella enjoyed looking around Charleston. She noticed that some people were looking at her curiously. Ella was a little nervous about this, but she realized that it was probably because nobody recognized her. She remembered that Charleston also had a very intricate line of genealogies in which everyone was related to this person and that person.

When she heard the clock tower ring, she looked and saw that it was three o'clock. She decided that she might as well visit her Aunt Carreen. She looked around for a little bit, visiting several churches, and she finally found the right one.

Ella managed to find the right convent, and more surprising even found Carreen, who was Sister Mary Joseph. This turned out to be a pleasant visit. Ella and Sister Mary Joseph had a pleasant chat over tea and biscuits. Ella did most of the talking, about Scarlett, Suellen, Wade, and Tara.

Ella was surprised. She almost expected Carreen to treat her like India Wilkes did, considering that her mother disgraced the O'Hara family with a divorce, and she Carreen was a nun, but Carreen seemed to completely disregard this fact.

When Ella decided that she should go, due to the fact it was getting a little late, Carreen told her that Pauline came for tea on Thursdays and she could meet her then. Ella was excited over this, also. That was in two days.

Ella was anxious over the next two days; she spent a lot of time exploring Charleston in greater detail, visiting the library in Charleston, which turned out to be the largest one she had ever seen. She kept herself occupied reading so much.

Finally Thursday came, and Ella made sure that she dressed well, and looked proper. Ella was very jittery as she made her way to the convent. Ella came a little early, but found Carreen with an old lady that turned out to her Aunt Pauline. Aunt Pauline was all excited as she hugged and kissed Ella. She seemed to look oddly at Ella's eyes.

Pauline sat Ella down and they talked for a long time, and insisted that Ella stay with her at the Battery. Ella wasn't sure if she wanted to do this or not, as she thought that if she stayed with Aunt Pauline, she would ultimately end up staying in Charleston longer than she had intended.

Eventually, Pauline left, asking Ella to come over sometime to call. Ella left shortly after deciding to get back to the hotel room. Ella found Charleston to be very pleasant. She liked it a lot more than Atlanta; at least people weren't as familiar with Scarlett O'Hara in Charleston as in Atlanta.

Ella decided to stay a little longer. She went over to Aunt Pauline's to call, and met some Charleston socialites, who were all courteous to her, but all they did was gossip, and Ella found gossip to be somewhat rude, but also dull, as she had no idea who most of the people were.

Ella was debating over leaving or staying in Charleston when she visited Aunt Carreen. She wanted to know about Scarlett and Suellen in their days of youth. She asked Carreen, and Carreen replied. "Oh, Scarlett had so many beaux. She had Brent and Stu Tarleton, Cade Calvert, Alex and Tony Fontaine, just so many." Ella had heard all these names previously.

"I remember Scarlett could be particularly pretty when she wanted to," Carreen recalled fondly, remembering her carefree days of youth. "However, the war changed that, when I got sick with the Typhoid, and mother died, Scarlett came back so different."

Ella recalled Suellen saying something along the lines that her mother was monster when she came back to Tara. She didn't know whether or not to take this seriously or not. Apparently it could be true.

"Now, Suellen, I remember was so taken with Frank-." Carreen stopped there. "Frank Kennedy" Ella replied. Carreen looked like she had just sworn. "Yes, dear, I'm sorry, Suellen and Frank Kennedy were courting, and when the war was over, they became engaged, and he went to Atlanta for work. Then, Scarlett went, and then a letter came saying that Frank and Scarlett had married.

Ella was shocked. No wonder Aunt Suellen always gave her such cold hateful looks all the time. She was a reminder to Suellen's painful past, when her sister had stolen her own beau away from her.

"Ella?" Aunt Carreen asked quietly. "Look, Aunt Carreen, I think it's time for me to go." Carreen looked sad. "Don't cry, I came here today to tell you that anyway." She said shortly, that wasn't the truth, but she had to get away.

Ella ran back to the hotel room as quick as she could. She had to absorb what Aunt Carreen had just told her. Scarlett stole her father away from Aunt Suellen. Why, she wondered privately. She may never know. Some questions are better left unanswered she told herself.

Ella fell asleep for a short while, and decided that it was time to go. She wanted to travel the world when she got her inheritance, and she should be doing it. Ella then and instantly started to pack her belongings.

Authors Note: _Dear Readers: I have to include this note to answer your questions. Scarlett will be making an appearance before too long. Also, chapter 3 wasn't the last of Beau Wilkes. Also, sorry for such an uneventful chapter, there will be more things happening._

_- Silver 186_


	5. Transformation

Ella Lorena Kennedy sat on the train, watching the trees go by. This was the longest train ride she had ever been on. It was close to three hours now since she had boarded in Charleston. Charleston was nice, definitely, but a little too old-fashioned and gossipy for Ella's tastes. Atlanta had been nice too, but after India Wilkes's harsh comment, she began to fear similar reactions from others if she revealed who she was. She knew that Scarlett would have a reputation in Atlanta, and it wouldn't do Ella any good to stay in a town where her and her kin where so maliciously hated.

Ella was still a little shocked about her Aunt Carreen's accident revelation about her parents. The more Ella thought about it, the more things made sense. It made sense why Suellen always looked at her so harshly, she, was to Suellen, a constant reminder of her painful past, when her own sister stole her fiancé.

Uncle Will's comment also made sense, the thing about Suellen being reminded about someone. It would also be hard on Suellen, simply being Scarlett's daughter, as Ella knew all too well that the two of them had a constant and bitter rivalry.

Since this train ride had been so long, Ella had plenty of time for reflection, which she so needed at this point. Ella was leaving to a place where she wouldn't be chastised for being Scarlett O'Hara's daughter. She was going to New Orleans.

Ella knew that Uncle Rhett and Scarlett had went there on their honeymoon, and Uncle Rhett brought Wade there on an occasion, and Scarlett and Wade both described it as a colorful, wonderful town. She also recalled what she believed Scarlett had said that people didn't judge you there, that you could wear the most scandalous clothes, and fit right in. Ella liked the idea of people not judging you, which is what really appealed the most to Ella.

Ella sat on her seat, and continued to look out the window, waiting for New Orleans to come.

After what seemed to be an eternity, the train finally came to New Orleans, and as soon as she stepped off the train, Ella was shocked and fascinated by what she saw. This had to be the most colorful, festive town she had seen in her life. The styles of clothes that people wore made Ella look like an old granny from the backwoods.

Ella instantly boarded a carriage, and looked out the side; she was in a state of nirvana. At this point, Ella was happier than she could ever remember being in her entire life. Scarlett and Wade's descriptions of New Orleans were pitiful compared to seeing New Orleans in person. This place had to be the most exciting, enthralling place she had ever been to.

The driver dropped Ella off at a hotel, and Ella instantly got a room. Even the hotel room made the rooms she had stayed at in Charleston and Atlanta look like broom closets. Ella set her luggage down, she knew she should unpack, but she was just too excited to, and wanted to explore the streets of New Orleans.

Ella explored the streets, and once again, she was enthralled, she was never more excited in her life. She noticed how out-of-style her clothing was, and she stopped at several stores, and she picked out some dresses that would've been simply scandalous in Charleston and Atlanta.

Over the next week, Ella never had so much fun in her life. The streets were beautiful, the more colorfully and scandalously she dressed, at least compared to standards in other places, she fit in perfectly. The food was magnificent; with so many things she had never had or even heard of previously.

In the hotel lobby, she was told of a masquerade ball that was to be the next day, and that she, was cordially invited. Ella had never been to one of these before, and though reluctant, she decided to go.

She got a beautiful green dress, and bought a mask that went along well with that. The lady also sold her make-up, and showed her how to apply it, after Ella, quite embarrassingly asked her how to apply it.

Make-up was never allowed at Tara, she had never worn it before this event, as Aunt Suellen had forbidden the use of it. She knew that Anne, her sister-in-law, had on occasion worn some.

The next day, Ella was very jittery, and when the time came, she styled her hair with the help of some servants, put on the green dress, then carefully applied some make up to her face, and put on her mask.

When Ella saw herself in the mirror for the first time, she was stunned; she would have never thought herself to even have the capacity to look so beautiful. The mask illuminated her green eyes, and hid the top half of her face very well, and the make up worked to make her appear more feminine. The dress, complimented her figure perfectly, and made her look very attractive.

Ella left the hotel room, and taking one last look in the mirror, realized that she didn't even look like herself; she didn't look like Ella Lorena Kennedy, the daughter of Frank Kennedy and Scarlett O'Hara. This was a new person that Ella looked at, a new person, who Ella at that precise moment decided would have the best night of her life, which would be the envy of every woman in the place, and every man in the building would be dying to dance with, or even talk to. This would be Ella's night to shine, to show the world she wasn't some ugly, unwanted person who never had a beau in her life, this was Ella's night.


	6. Nirvana, Shock, and Joy

Authors Note: Thank you to all my loyal readers who have read my stories. I will try to get these chapters up with more speed.

Note: Southern Chick and JESSEK: All in good time, all in good time.

Ordinarily, Ella Lorena Kennedy wasn't beautiful. This night was an exception, however. She looked positively stunning; she would be the belle of the ball, with every man fawning over her, and woman pea-green with envy.

Ella was in a carriage, the clip-clop of the horse's feet on the road had a soothing effect on her. It was also rather warm tonight; she hoped it wouldn't be too warm in the ballroom.

The carriage stopped, and a man appeared and held out his hand, she grabbed it, and stepped out of the carriage. She walked to a large building, around her were other people, some couples, some people who were alone, and she heard fragments of conversations, and laughter all around her.

Ella entered a large room, this place was positively stunning! Due to her life in Tara, she had never seen anything so beautiful and luxurious. There were a group of women standing over in a certain area. Feeling nervous, Ella couldn't decide to join them or not. When an attractive young man came over and asked one of the ladies to dance, she decided to.

She went over and stood with the other ladies, the other ladies looked at her, with what Ella perceived as envy, and out of curiosity. After what seemed to be a short while, a man came over and asked Ella politely to dance. She agreed.

"Oh what an experience this is!" Ella thought to herself privately. Ella felt what is was like to be the belle of the ball for the first time in her life. For the first time in her life, men were asking her to dance because they wanted to, not because they felt obligated to.

Almost in a state of nirvana, Ella danced and danced. While dancing with a rather short gentleman who had what sounded like to be a French accent, (she had heard plenty of those since she arrived in New Orleans) she looked over and saw a woman. She was in a lovely white gown that reminded Ella of a wedding dress, her face was completely disguised by her mask. She was a rather attractive woman, Ella could tell; however it wasn't that which shocked Ella and knocked her out of her state of nirvana. It was the woman's eyes. Her eyes were like two emeralds placed there for the ball. This shocked Ella greatly; as there was only one person she met who had eyes just like her.

When the dance stopped, she politely thanked the gentlemen, and complimented him on his dancing skills, even though that was the last thing on her mind. She had to get out of there. She left the ballroom, calmly, not trying to stick out. She came to a large room that was like a lobby. There were other people in there, chatting and such.

Ella sat down in a chair. Her heart was racing. The one other person who had her eyes that she had known was her mother. Was the woman in the white dress really Scarlett? Ella asked herself. Was she being ridiculous in thinking that the only two people in the world that had green eyes were herself and Scarlett? Ella went with the latter theory. She took a deep breath, composed herself, and turned to go back into the ballroom, but another thought hit her. It wasn't the eyes, she thought. There was something else that made her think that it was Scarlett. She didn't know what, but there was something.

Was that woman really Scarlett? Ella then thought of turning back and running away, and then she decided against that, she decided that if it was, she should greet her properly and somewhat reserved. Ella went back into the ballroom, and started a dance with another gentleman. Ella was now disturbed, she was obviously distracted, and kept looking around at the ladies to see if there was the woman in white. Ella never saw her. Ella, being very distracted at this point, sat out, and tried looking for her. However, specifically looking for one person in an enormous room of people that were dancing and constantly moving around is by no means an easy task.

Midnight came, and the time to unveil the masks came, Ella was comprehensive about this, she was more curious in looking for Scarlett, if it was really her, then seeing who was behind the masks. Ella took hers off, and applauded. She decided it was hopeless. She slipped the mask back on and went outside and got into a carriage, which took her back to her hotel room.

Back in her room, Ella threw the mask and the dress off carelessly, and put on a nightgown and went to bed. She was tired, but the thought of the woman in white kept haunting her mind. Eventually, she did go to sleep.

The next morning, a knock at the door woke her up, and a maid brought her breakfast. Ella got dressed, and decided to explore New Orleans in greater detail. When passing through the lobby, an older gentleman greeted her with a friendly "hello."

Ella traveled through New Orleans, and eventually came back to the hotel. The same man was there, and he smiled when Ella walked into the lobby. He got up suddenly, which surprised Ella somewhat. "Hello, miss." He said rather nervously. I just have to say that I saw you last night at the ball, and I was very enchanted by you." He said all with a smile. Ella was surprised, she was so preoccupied with potentially seeing Scarlett, that she didn't really notice anyone else when they all took off their masks. "My name is Donald Hedgecock, and I would be pleased to have the privilege of accompanying you to a nice restaurant, Miss-" He all said at once.

Ella was surprised. No man had ever courted her before, and no man ever asked to have the privilege of accompanying her to a nice restaurant. "Yes, Mr. Hedgecock, I will. My name is Ella Kennedy, by the way, Ella Lorena Kennedy.

The evening came. Ella agreed to meet Mr. Hedgecock in the lobby at six o'clock. She was very jittery; she had never done anything like this before. She dressed in a nice dress, however modest, and put her hair, and decided to wear a hat. She went to the lobby, and found Mr. Hedgecock dressed in a very nice suit. Ella went over to him, and he greeted her and said "ready, Miss Kennedy?" She complied.

They came to a very nice restaurant which Ella had never been to before. It was a little pricy, but Donald didn't seem to mind. Donald and Ella chatted about various things, as it turned out, he was from Virginia, and came to New Orleans when he was 24, to start a new life for himself. When he asked about Ella's life, she briefly mentioned that she lived on her mother's plantation with her aunt and uncle, and that her parents were both deceased.

That was a lie, Ella knew it, but she would rather spare the details of Scarlett's divorce, and secret pregnancy that followed from her first beau. The next weeks that followed were wonderful for Ella. Donald was a very kind man who gave her little gifts such as flowers and books, and he took her to the most exciting places in New Orleans.

For several months, this continued. Ella stayed in New Orleans, and though she looked for Scarlett, there was really no progress as far as that was concerned. Ella thought it was probably just some other woman with green eyes that she saw.

Ella was very happy being with Donald, and what she believed that would make her even happier approached. When they were waiting in the lobby, Donald got down on one knee, and asked: "Miss Kennedy, would you do me the honor of being my wife?" He said with a small garnet ring before her. Ella was stunned. She had always feared she would die an old spinster, because no man would ever want her because of her face. Ella sat there wide-mouthed, stunned, and replied: "Yes, Mr. Hedgecock, I will."


	7. A Different View

Donald Hedgecock wasn't exactly in the time of his life that one would call the "prime." He was beyond that stage in life. He was getting old, and he needed a wife. He had found one. Everyone would be happy in the situation. Donald didn't really love her; he didn't think that she loved him that deeply.

Donald knew that she had a lot of money, and that would be always helpful. He heard that in a letter that he received from his brother, who was a lawyer in Atlanta. He got it just after he wrote that he was courting a woman named Ella Kennedy. He also noticed that she wasn't really observant. He could tell that she was rich concluding from her spending habits, he had followed her around New Orleans; he was somewhat worried that she would notice him, but she never did.

She wasn't beautiful, anyone could tell that. However, as the masquerade ball proved, she could be really beautiful. He wanted a wife like that, one who wouldn't wander or look at any other men, or that other men would look at. But one who would loyal and faithful to him and only him, but could make him the envy of New Orleans, as she positively stunning in her dress at the ball.

He needed an heir. That was a given, she could probably provide him a household of children. She also had no parents, they were both dead, as she said, and that meant that he had no pesky mother-in-law to deal with. That was a relief. It always seemed that mothers were much more protective of their daughters than their sons. It always seemed that way to him, anyway. His mother was an example of that.

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Ella sighed. It was three weeks since Donald proposed to her, and she had written a short letter to Tara informing them of her engagement. She expected a short letter from Suellen congratulating her on her engagement, but that was far from it.

In her letter, Suellen began by chewing out Ella. "You really shouldn't make a point of not contacting us, Ella; it's just in bad taste. After all I thought I taught you better than that-" Ella skipped over the next paragraph which was about the bad taste of poor correspondents. "On a lighter note, I am very pleased to hear of your engagement. Will we be meeting Mr. Hedgecock? Where is he from? Does he have any family in the area?" Ella read on. "Also, on a much lighter note, I am pleased to tell you that you will be an aunt before too long. Anne is pregnant, and she is quite ecstatic over this." Wow, she was going to be an aunt, that was interesting. Ella read on. "Unfortunately, we seem to be in a middle of a draught here in Georgia, and the crops aren't growing as well as they could be. Your Uncle Will has been working endlessly, even though I keep telling him he needs to relax and think of his health, he just won't listen. Honestly, that man is so stubborn at times."

Ella thought that was odd. Uncle Will working himself hard in the fields wasn't anything new or unusual. Why would Aunt Suellen be concerned about his health? She privately wondered.

She read on. "Joe and Susie are doing well, and Susie seems to being doing well with the Fontaine's. She and Joe come to dinner on Sunday's. Martha and Jane are also well. Jane, interestingly enough, seems to becoming about more and deeper in her religion. She is beginning to remind me of Carreen."

"Also, I had the pleasure of seeing Beau and Ashley for the first time I don't know how many years. I heard that you had met Beau when you were in Atlanta. So, what did you think of him? I thought he seemed like a very nice young man. I also must add that he is now married! Did he mention that at all when you visited with him? He is married to a very nice and respectable young woman. Her name is Melinda, and her maiden name is Houston. She is from Atlanta, even though her family is from Savannah originally. She was very sweet, and she looked very frail, and almost like a child. She was very charming, and I liked her a great deal." Ella didn't know why, but for some reason, it disturbed her that Beau had married.

Ella read the rest of the letter, nothing else of interest was in it. Beau had gotten married, for whatever reason this had upset Ella a great deal. She only had dinner with him, and it disturbed her for whatever reason.

Ella got up and decided that she should be getting some things for the wedding. It had already been planned that she and Donald would have a small wedding here in New Orleans, as neither of them had anyone really to invite to come such a long way to New Orleans from Georgia and Virginia. They would be getting married in front of priest. Ella had been raised Catholic at Tara, and hadn't gone to Mass since coming to New Orleans. She went to Mass at Aunt Carreen's church, but that was about it. As it turned out, Donald had been raised Catholic also, so it worked out for him, also.

Ella put the letter on a small table that worked well for writing, and decided that she would write a response to Aunt Suellen in a short while, and she decided to write to some other people, also.

She left the room, and decided to go out and visit Donald at work; he owned a small business that wasn't too far away from the hotel. Ella thought it was somewhat odd that Donald never seemed to kiss her, or never seemed to want to kiss her. For whatever reason, she thought about that as she was leaving. She concluded that he was probably just shy.

After that train of thought, for whatever reason, Ella's thoughts shifted once again to Beau Wilkes.


	8. Married Life

Ella looked at the mirror before her. She had never been so nervous in her entire life. She was dressed a white dress, not overly fancy, but elegant. The dress complemented her well, and she was going to wear a large hat.

It was about an hour to go before Ella's wedding. She was very nervous and very jittery. She remembered that Suellen said to Susie once that brides were often nervous before the wedding.

Donald and Ella were to be married in one of New Orleans' Catholic churches, it was a small simple ceremony, with no family members attending, just a few acquaintances, mainly on Donald's side.

Nobody from Tara had come, they either couldn't afford it or didn't want to come, or both. She did feel a bit lonesome and lonely. She decided that if she ever had daughters of her own one day, that they would never have a wedding without family members present.

Despite her feelings of nervousness and loneliness, she was happy, she was settling down and hopefully she and her husband would be well-liked, high society members of New Orleans. The children they would have one day would go to the best schools, make friends with the other socialites' children, and they would attend all sorts of parties, charity events, and such with all the other high class people of New Orleans.

At Tara, they did some things like that, but it couldn't be the same as the high class of New Orleans. Ella smiled briefly at the thought of such splendor and openness of New Orleans. Ella was also happy about the new home that was purchased. It was a beautiful light-blue three story manor that was in a very prominent neighborhood of New Orleans. It was simply beautiful. Ella had provided most of the money, and Donald chipped in a little.

Looking at the mirror, Ella's thoughts shifted to Beau Wilkes. Why was that happening? Ella asked. For several weeks, he had been in her thoughts, and several dreams. It wasn't like she was in love with him or anything, so why was he in her thoughts so often? She wondered.

Ella pushed the thoughts of Beau to the back of her head. She was going to be a wife. She always had the dreams of being Joe Fontaine's wife, but that, even back at Tara seemed very unlikely. Ella was very happy knowing she would not become an old spinster.

There was a knock at the door, and then a young servant girl entered. "They're ready for you, Miss Ella." She said simply. Miss Ella, Miss Ella Kennedy. She wouldn't ever be that again after today, she would Mrs. Ella Hedgecock. She turned around and accompanied the girl down a hallway. She came to two double doors, and they opened before her. She never felt so nervous in her life.

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Two months had passed since her wedding, and life wasn't exactly going as Ella planned it would be going. There house was in an affluent neighborhood, but most of the people were polite, but distant. Apparently because she wasn't Creole she wasn't welcomed with open arms.

That isn't to say that all the people were like that. Southern chivalry did exist in some families. They had Ella over for tea, and they talked about their families, and things that went on in New Orleans. It might have been nice, but still it wasn't going as Ella really intended.

Also, Donald was a lot different. He was very focused on business. Ella always pictured marriage differently. He could be a very imposing man, but also indecisive, irritating as well, but at times, kind and polite. Ella wanted to be happy, but she was finding that hard. She knew she could adapt to him, people were different, and it would take time for her and Donald to get used to one another, Ella decided. One day they would be a happy husband and wife.

Despite this, Ella did see him at times a kind of pussy-footed man, indecisive especially with business. He would complain about problems at work, and Ella found this dull, no matter how much she tried to be interested in it, and she found his babbling very irritating at times. Once again, after the conversations, Ella would realize that it was something he did, and it would take time to get used to it.

Ella seemed to be a changing person. She thought she might be becoming a more mature, responsible individual, more of an adult. She didn't like the thought of being someone like Aunt Pittypat, an eternal child. She had experienced independence, and had enjoyed it.

Ella, even though she had her qualms put on a happy face. She was kind and patient with Simon on the surface, no matter how much he irritated her at times. Life continued this way for a little while.

One day, a servant by the name of Lucy was brushing Ella's hair, and putting it into a particular style that she liked, the butler, Logan knocked and came in. "There are some men here to see you, Miss Ella." That struck Ella as odd; usually callers for her were women, while Donald handled most of the men. "Thank you, Logan, tell them that I'll be done in a moment." "Put my hair into a bun, Lucy, I'll worry about it later." Lucy did so. Ella stood up, and quickly composed herself, and opened the door and went downstairs.

Ella, descending the staircase, saw that there were three men, in work clothes sitting on various furniture in the living room. They all stood up when Ella walked into the room. "Please gentlemen, sit down." Ella said politely. "Now, what is this all about?" She asked as she sat down on a chair.

"Well, Mrs. Hedgecock." One began. "I'm really sorry to have to tell you this." He said as looked nervously around the room. "But, Mr. Hedgecock, he was killed in an accident on the docks today." Ella's eyes went wide open in shock. "Killed?" "Oh my lord." She said as she pulled out a handkerchief. "I'm really sorry, ma'am." The man said politely.

"If you'll excuse me, gentlemen." Ella said as she dashed out the room and up the stairs. She went into the room, and closed the door behind her and locked it. Then fell onto the bed that she and Donald shared.

The following week was like a dream to Ella. Her house became a house of mourning; she wore all black, as well as all the servants. She had the tasks of writing the sad news to all Donald's kin as well as her own. She noticed that Donald's brother was her lawyer in Atlanta, that didn't go unnoticed. She was no longer a wife, but now a widow. She didn't like the idea of being of widow. Widows were supposed to become shut-ins and be constantly weeping for their beloved. Donald Hedgecock wasn't Ella's beloved. She didn't cry once over his death, and Ella felt guilty about that. She felt like she had lost a pet or something like that. The day of the funeral, Ella felt ill. She presumed that she was feeling that way out of guilt.

The ceremony was very solemn, and went as well as funeral could be expected to go. Ella managed to cry at the funeral, making her seem like the heartbroken housewife who lost her husband. A lot more people showed up than Ella had expected. A lot of the neighbors who had rejected them came, probably out of respect.

After the funeral, guests came into the house, but Ella didn't want to see them, so she went into her room after giving them a brief hello. The people were thoroughly convinced it was out of heartbreak. Locked in her room, she heard tidbits of conversation that proclaimed she was so young, and so unfortunate to lose her husband at such an age, and how she would come to understand her husband's death one day.

It wasn't that. Ella understood and accepted Donald's death, but she felt sick, sick from guilt. She felt horrible about not feeling bad about Donald's death. She was standing against the door, trying to listen to some conversation tidbits, when Ella suddenly felt sick. She ran to the chamber pot just in time, and she threw up in it.

Deciding that rest should help, she wiped her mouth, composed herself, and lay down on the bed. She did fall asleep not to long afterwards. Over the following days, she did have the sickness of guilt come and go, but she realized it wasn't guilt not long afterwards, she realized that she was with child.


	9. A New Addition

Ella Kennedy Hedgecock stared out the window with envy. She was glancing outside in jealousy, because the proper thing to do in her situation was not to be seen. Ella was a widow, her husband dying barely 8 months previous, because of this, Ella couldn't go outside. Ella also was pregnant, another reason that she was kept inside her house.

Ella wished she could go for a walk down the streets of New Orleans, she wished she could go to the stores, look around, enjoy herself, but she was trapped inside her house. Ella looked out the window, then turned around, and decided to look upstairs in her small library. By now, she had gone through each of the books at least twice, with no one in the house to talk to except for servants, but the servants, except for a few looked at Ella as though she was a fragile piece of china.

Ella was in her ninth month. She was going to have the baby before too long. According to one of the servants, Azalea, who Ella was certain was going to be her baby's mammy, she was carrying low, so she was with a girl. Azalea had been through quite a few births, and had been a mammy before. Ella did feel confident in trusting Azalea, even though in New Orleans she had heard whispers of murderous servants, Azalea didn't seem to be one of them.

Ella grabbed _David Copperfield_ from her shelf, and decided to read through it again. This would be the third time that Ella read through the book, but Ella had nothing else to do.

Ella took _David Copperfield_ into her room, it was more comfortable to read on the bed than it was on the chair right now. Ella read through the pages, and Ella found she couldn't concentrate. She had a hard time getting comfortable, and there was this odd feeling in her back. She closed the book and placed it on the table next to her bed, and she decided that she should lay down to help her back.

Ella closed her eyes, and she hoped it would help, but it didn't seem to. The pain became more intense, and it went through more than her back. Ella then realized what was happening when she received several sharp pains in her lower mid-section. "Azalea!" Ella screamed. Almost instantly, Azalea burst into the room. Azalea saw Ella laying in the position and she instantly knew. "Hang on, Miss Ella." She said quite calmly. "Patsy! Get in here this instant!" Patsy was a 16 year old girl, Patsy came into the room almost lazily. "Patsy, go down and get Mrs. Barrett, and tell her that Miss Ella is having her baby." Patsy's eyes widened and surprised, and she took off from the room.

Ella had a sharp pain in her back, and she threw her back up in a vain attempt to relieve the pain. Azalea went to her side, and helped Ella up. Azalea took Ella and helped her get into a nightgown. Ella's pains were increasing. Mrs. Barrett came into the door with Mrs. Dodd. Mrs. Barrett lived down the street from Ella. She was an older woman, her husband had died in the war, and she was friendly with most everyone in the neighborhood. Mrs. Barrett was an experienced midwife, and had been through many births. Mrs. Dodd was Mrs. Barrett's friend, she lived a ways away from Mrs. Barrett, and she had delivered as many babies as Mrs. Barrett.

Mrs. Barrett looked at Ella and then sharply yelled something at Azalea, but Ella was too distracted to hear or even care what she said. She was going through a particular moment of sharp pain in her pelvis area.

Mrs. Barrett, Mrs. Dodd, and Azalea all were in the room with Ella. Her body ached and went through pain. They all did various things and told her to do various things, but they might as well have been speaking in a foreign language that Ella heard and cared to hear.

Ella went through pain, horrible pain, which felt as though searing-hot pincers had attached themselves all over her midsection. After awhile, Mrs. Barrett and Mrs. Dodd kept on yapping on about something that it irritated her so much as to scream "Quiet!" They stopped talking so much after that.

After an enormous amount of pain, Ella was sweating terribly, but after one final push and a piercing scream, Mrs. Barrett handed Ella a tiny little baby boy. Ella looked at him, wondering how something so beautiful could've caused her so much pain. Ella had gone through terrible pain, and now, all of it was gone, with a joy of ecstasy. Ella recalled Aunt Suellen saying in the past that there was no joy greater than a mother holding her newborn baby.

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Ella had intended on naming her baby if it was boy Frank after her father, who she knew must've been a gentleman. However once Ella took a look at her newborn son, Frank somehow just didn't suit him. She thought hard about what to name her son, and she decided upon Simon. Simon Frank Hedgecock was Ella's baby's name.

**Author's Note: I am sorry that this took so long to get up, but I've been terribly busy, and have just finished writing this chapter, and planning the rest of the story. Let me ask you something that I cannot decide for myself, should Ella, A. Have a little relationship with Beau Wilkes, B. Have a little relationship with someone else, at this point I'm thinking someone along the lines of Rhett, or C. No one at all.**

**Also: Here's a little foreshadowing of the next chapter, what you have all been BUGGING ME ABOUT: Scarlett will be coming into the next chapter.**


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